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Sunday, October 9, 2011

Freddie Mercury (Queen) and the cats he loved!

In memory of Freddie Mercury

The operacat's human (Angelica) have grown up with Queen streaming out of the bulky, black speakers of her childhood home. Since before she was born, her parents (especially her father) loved and surrounded themselves with Queen, and admired the unbelievable stage presence and vocal abilities of Freddie Mercury. He was, and is still one of Angelica's greatest idols and inspirations.

But he was also a very famous lover of all things feline!

He had many cats himself, some of them adopted from shelters. He dedicated his album "Mr. Bad guy" to one of his cats, and later made a song about his favorite cat, named "Delilah".

The cats that stayed with him till he died November 1991 were:

Romeo, Goliath, Delilah, Oscar & Miko

"You make me so very happy

When you cuddle up and go to sleep beside me

And then you make me slightly mad

When you pee all over my chippendale suite"

In Queens last music video, Freddie uses a vest with cats on. The cats portrayed are his own!

(At this stage Freddie was so ill that he could barely stand at times, he insisted to make more music though and kept busy till the end. He died shortly after this video was shot. Many feel this video is a "good bye" to his fans). "I still love you".

Quotes about Freddie Mercury and his cats

- "Peter Freestone, Mercury’s personal assistant and cook, wrote in his book “Freddie Mercury”

that his boss put as much importance on them as any human in his life."

- “Most of them were from rescue centers. We have a charity [in the United Kingdom] called The Blue Cross, which takes care of sick animals. Freddie got at least two from them, if not more.”

- "Queen fans know quite well Mercury’s love for felines. After all, he did dedicate his solo album, “Mr. Bad Guy,” to his cat Jerry, as well as the rest of his brood at the time, and extended the note to “all the cat lovers across the universe.”

- “They did get ordinary cat food at times, but mostly it was fresh chicken and fish prepared for them. I also remember he used to talk to them on the phone if he was away for a long time.”

- "Their unconditional love gave him great comfort and company in his final days, and Mercury would never deny them admittance to his bedroom."

"The difference between Freddie and almost all the other rock stars was that he was selling the voice."

- Montserrat Caballe

"I adored Freddie Mercury and Queen had a hit called Radio Gaga. That's why I love the name. Freddie was unique - one of the biggest personalities in the whole of pop music. He was not only a singer but also a fantastic performer, a man of the theatre and someone who constantly transformed himself. In short: a genius." -Lady Gaga

"If I didn't have Freddie Mercury's lyrics to hold on to as a kid, I don't know where I would be. It taught me about all forms of music. It would open my mind. I never really had a bigger teacher in my whole life."

The Operacats Online

Welcome to the operacats online! (And their personal operasinger & provider of food and hugs).

We hope this site will be to your enjoyment. We will post pictures, experiences with having cat(s), product-testing, tips, funny cat-related stuff, and of course all the adventures of the operacats (Amadeus & Christa).